Method of making padded contoured carpets



y 4, 1961 D. R. COTTERMAN ETAL 2,991,212

METHOD OF MAKING PADDED CONTOURED CARPETS Filed April 29, 1957 INVENTORS DON R. COTTER MAN ANGUS A. MCDONALD ATTOR N YS United States Patent F 2,991,212 METHOD OF MAKING PADDED CONTOURED CARPETS Don R. Cotterman and Angus A. McDonald, Pontiac, Mich., assignors to Baldwin Rubber Company, Pontiac, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Apr. 29, 1957, Ser. No. 655,891 4 Claims. (Cl. 154-110) The present invention relates to a method of making padded contoured carpets.

In accordance with present practice, woven carpeting is provided for the floor of automobiles. The present invention relates particularly to the provision of padded contoured carpets shaped to conform to the configuration of the floor of automobile compartments, and particularly the floor in front of the front seat. As is well understood, this floor may include a generally horizontal portion directly in front of the front seat and a forwardly and upwardly inclined portion therebeyond. In addition, both the horizontal portion and the forwardly and upwardly inclined portion are interrupted by a longitudinally extending relatively large rib the underside of which constitutes a recess or tunnel for the drive shaft. Differently contoured carpets may be required for the rear seat compartment, luggage compartment, etc.

Problems have been presented in connection with conforming carpeting to the irregular contours of the floor.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel method of producing a padded contoured carpet.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to produce a padded contoured carpet by placing precut carpeting with the pile or tread down on a perforated form having the reverse contour required in the carpet, applying a fluid adhesive sizing material to the upper rear surface of the carpet, adhering thereto a precut padding material, and drying the adhesive sizing material primarily through the perforations in the form.

Still more specifically, it is an object of the present invention to produce a padded contoured carpet as described in the preceding paragraph which includes the steps of gripping the edges of precut carpet material adjacent the edges of the form and pressing the carpeting material strongly to conform to the irregularities of the contoured form.

It is a further object of the present invention to produce a padded contoured carpet as described in the preceding paragraphs and to effect drying of the adhesive sizing material by placing the perforated form with the assembly of carpet and padding material thereon in a drying chamber.

It is a further object of the present invention to produce padded contoured carpeting as described in the preceding paragraphs except that after the application of the sizing material to the rear of the carpeting, the sizing material is dried before the application of the padding material.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, especially ,when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the padded contoured carpet.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view with parts broken away of the contoured for-m.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view through a portion of the form showing the carpeting material and padding thereon.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged elevational view of a portion 2,991,212. Patented July 4, 1961 of the mold with the carpeting and padding material thereon.

Referring first to FIGURE 1, there is illustrated at 10 the padded contoured carpet, the carpeting material at the upper surface being indicated at 12 and the relatively thicker padding material at the underside being indicated at 114. In this figure for convenience the car peting and padding material are shown as of equal sizebut in practice, and as illustrated in the remaining fig-- ures, the padding material is preferably cut to a smaller size than the carpeting so that the edge portions of the carpeting material extend laterally beyond the edges of the padding material.

The contoured padded carpet comprises the first generally horizontal portion 16 including the two laterally spaced flat sections 18 and 20 with the upwardly extending hollow convex portion 22 therebetween. Forwardly of the generally horizontally extending portion 16 is a generally forwardly and upwardly inclined portion 24 which also includes flat portions 26 and 28 separated by an upwardly extending hollow and generally tapered convex portion 30.

In the method of producing the padded contoured carpet shown in FIGURE 1, forms indicated generally at 32 are provided. It will be observed that the form 32 is shaped to have an upper surface corresponding to the upper surface of the contoured padded carpet. The form thus includes a generally horizontally extending portion 34 comprising the two flat portions 36 and 38 interconnected by the downwardly extending hollow or channel portion 40. The form also includes the downwardly inclined portion 42 comprising the two generally flat portions 44 and 46 interconnected by the hollow or channel portion 48.

It is essential for the form upon which the padded contoured carpet is produced to be a strong self-support ing body but at the same time it is an essential requirement that the surfaceportion thereof be perforated or formed to have a multiplicity of openings.

As seen in FIGURE 4, the form comprises border portions 50 having suitable carpet engaging means carried thereby such as the pins indicated at 52. Located inwardly from the border or edge portions 50, the material of the form is perforated. Conveniently, the entire central area portion may be formed from expanded metal as indicated at 54. Metal of this type is produced from sheet material by cutting and expanding the metal to provide a multiplicity of interorossing and relatively narrow ribs 56 leaving relatively large openings 60 therebetween. This type of surface is rigid and strong enough to permit the required manipulation of the carpet but at the same time is substantially open or porous so as to facilitate drying of adhesive sizing material as will subsequently appear.

In the operation, as will subsequently be described, the precut carpeting is placed with its pile or tread surface downwardly. It has been found that relatively coarse pattern of the expanded metal in some cases produces an undesirable effect on the tread surface of the carpet. Accordingly, the expanded metal areas of the form are preferably covered with a much finer screening as indicated at 62.

In carrying out the method an individual piece of carpeting is initially precut to the required dimensions. It is thereafter placed over the form 32 while the form occupies substantially the position illustrated in FIGURE 2. Peripheral portions of the carpeting are locked in place by suitable means carried at the edge of the form. This means may if desired take the form of clamps (not illustrated) but it is quicker and usually equally satisfactory to employ the pins 52 over which the edge portions of the carpeting are pressed. Suflicient fullness is left in the carpet to permit it to be formed downwardly into the channel portions 40 and 48. In practice, one edge of the carpeting material may first be pressed by the pins 52 and thereafter the carpeting is caused to conform generally to the form as its edge portions are progressively pierced by pins until the opposite edge is finally engaged thereby. It will be appreciated that a certain amount of stretching of the carpeting occurs to the extent permitted by its nature at certain zones such as indicated generally at 64. Also, a certain amount of compacting of the carpeting occurs, as for example at the zones indicated at 66. Within reasonable limits, advantage can be taken of the tendency of the carpet to compact itself or shrink in its own plane at a zone such as 66 to largely compensate for its inability to stretch at the zone 64. In any case, and with reasonable contouring it is found practical to cause the carpeting to conform substantially completely to the form 32 illustrated in FIGURE 2. With the carpeting thus supported on the form and shaped to conform thereto, its upper surface is provided with a substantial coating of a suitable fluid adhesive sizing material. This material may be applied by spray or brush. In any case, it is applied in substantial quantities but never in sufiicient quantity to penetrate through into the tread surface.

Excellent results have been obtained when the fluid adhesive sizing material has the following formula:

Parts by weight Styrenebutadiene synthetic latex (Dow latex 5l2-K) 300 Buna-N synthetic latex (Hy Car 1552) 200 Low melting point 100% polymerized hydro-carbon resin (A-l2 emulsion, Pennsylvania Industrial Chemical Corporation) 200 Water 265 Clay 375 phonics) 30 Total 1424.9

The exact proportions of the constituents may of course be varied but it is considered very desirable to employ a rubber-resin composition, and preferably one in which the rubber constituent is in the form of synthetic latexes.

After applying the fluid adhesive sizing material, the precut padding material is next applied. Since the padding material is generally concealed beneath the carpeting material, it may be cut as desired to cause it to conform most readily to the contour of the carpet.

Obviously of course, it would be possible to apply the adhesive sizing material to the under surface of the padding material, or it would be possible to apply coats of the adhesive sizing material to both the adjacent surfaces of the carpeting material and padding material before bringing them together.

After pressing the padding material into conformity with the upper surface of the carpeting material, the form with the carpeting material and the pad adhered thereto still retained in position on the form by the securing means, such as the pins 52, the assembly including the form is preferably moved into a drying oven to hasten drying of the adhesive sizing material. Actually, satisfactory results are obtained in permitting the adhesive sizing material to air dry without placing the form in a drying chamber. However, more efi'icient use of a number of forms is obtained if the drying operation is expedited so that the completed dried padded contoured carpet may be removed as soon as possible from the form to ready it for reuse.

The adhesive sizing material when dried lends substantial stifiness to the padded contoured carpet and a multiplicity of these padded carpets may be stacked for shipment without deleterious effects. The inclusion of the clay in the material substantially increases the stiffness of the completed product. Where the carpet has been stretched or compacted in conforming it to the form, the sizing material and pad cooperate to cause it to retain its shape when dried.

In cases where it is desired to provide more stiffness and form retention than is readily obtainable by the application of the fluid adhesive sizing material directly to the rear surface of the carpeting, the relatively thick padding material may have the fluid applied liberally thereto.

The padding material may be any suitable material but is preferably a coarse fibrous pad such for example as needled jute.

In some cases the character of the padding material makes the drying difficult and requires an unacceptably long drying time. This may result from the use of a padding material of greater thickness or from the use of a padding material which is more impervious to the passage of vapor therethrough. In this case the operation may be carried out as described in the foregoing except that the carpet material with the sizing material applied thereto is dried before the application of the padding material. In this case, after the sizing material applied to the rear of the carpeting material has been dried or substantially dried, the padding material is applied with a separate adhesive. An adhesive suitable for this purpose may have the following composition:

Parts by weight Reclaimed rubber rubber hydrocarbon 800 Zinc resinate-wood rosin ..750 Naphtha 2000 This adhesive is readily dried and ordinarily requires no separate drying step. In other words, the padded contoured carpet is completely dried immediately upon pressure application of the padding material thereto.

The drawing and the foregoing specification constitute a description of the improved method of making padded contoured carpets in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, the scope of which is indicated by the appended claims.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. The method of making padded contoured carpeting for automobiles which comprises placing a precut carpet tread side down over a reversely contoured form, fixing the edges of the carpet to the form, shaping the carpet to conform to the shape of the form, applying an adhesive sizing material to the upper rear carpet surface, applying a precut pad of non-vulcanizable material to the adhesive coated surface and conforming it to the shape of the form and carpet, and subsequently placing the form, carpet and pad in a drying chamber, and drying the adhesive sizing material therein by the application of heat.

2. The method of making padded contoured carpeting for automobiles which comprises placing a precut carpet tread side down over a reversely contoured perforated form, fixing the edges of the carpet to the form, shaping the carpet to conform to the shape of the form, applying a precut pad of course fibers to the upper surface of the carpet with an interposed layer of fluid adhesive and sizing material, and conforming it to the shape of the form and carpet, placing the form, carpet and pad in a drying chamber, and then drying the adhesive and sizing material therein by the application of heat.

3. The method of making padded contoured carpeting for automobiles which comprises placing a precut carpet tread side down over a reversely contoured form, fixing the edges of the carpet to the form, shaping the carpet to conform to the shape of the form, applying a precut pad of non-vulancizable material to the upper surface of the carpet with an interposed layer of fluid adhesive and sizing material, and conforming it to the shape of the form and carpet, and drying said adhesive and sizing material.

4. The method of making padded contoured carpeting for automobiles which comprises placing a precut carpet tread side down over a reversely contoured perforated form, fixing the edges of the carpet to the form, shaping the carpet to conform to the shape of the form, applying a precut pad to the upper surface of the carpet with an interposed layer of fluid adhesive and sizing material, and conforming it to the shape of the form and carpet,

6 and then drying said adhesive sizing material mainly through the perforations of said form.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,985,484 Clark Dec. 25, 1934 1,994,145 Moule Mar. 12, 1935 2,089,598 Cavanagh et al Aug. 10, 1937 2,248,743 Collins July 8, 1941 2,266,846 Buff Dec. 23, 1941 2,296,502 Cotterman Sept. 22, 1942 2,915,427 Schriner Feb. 11, 1959 

1. THE METHOD OF MAKING PADDED CONTOURED CARPETING FOR AUTOMOBILES WHICH COMPRISES PLACING A PRECUT CARPET TREAD SIDE DOWN OVER A REVERSELY CONTOURED FORM, FIXING THE EDGES OF THE CARPET TO THE FORM, SHAPING THE CARPET TO CONFORM TO THE SHAPE OF THE FORM, APPLYING AN ADHESIVE SIZING MATERIAL TO THE UPPER REAR CARPET SURFACE, 